Cigar lighter



Jan. 29, 1963 J. R. VOSEFSKI 3,076,084

CIGAR LIGHTER Filed oct. 1e, 1961 /z nef/Wi z ZM f QMW

ATTORNEY United rates atent Ohhce 3,076,084 Patented Jan. 29, 1953 3,076,084 CIGAR LIGHTER John R. Vosefski, Webster, N.Y., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Get. 18, 1961, Ser. No. 145,930 Claims. (Cl. 219-32) This invention pertains to electrical cigar and cigarette lighters and, more particularly, to a contact assembly for such lighters.

Electrical lighters of the type commonly in use today with automotive vehicles typically comprise a tubular or cylindrical holding unit or case having a deep well or cavity Within which an igniting unit or lighter plug is removably insertable. The igniting and holding units respectively carry latching and contact members through which an electrical circuit may be established to bring the heating element of the igniting unit to a substantially predetermined temperature for use. The contact member carried by the holding unit usually takes the form of a plurality of resilient bimetallic temperature responsive contact fingers which will latchingly engage the contact member of the removable igniting unit, commonly in the form of a cup surrounding the heating element, to maintain the assembly in a circuit-closing position during the heating cycle, while the contact fingers are automatically releasable from the contact member carried by the igniting unit upon the desired heating element temperature being reached. Suitable ejection means are provided to eject the igniting unit automatically to a holding position within the holding case for subsequent removal and use after the element has been heated.

After heating the element as aforementioned, it often happens that one using the igniting unit waits too long before removing same and finds that the heating element has cooled. In such circumstances, the igniting unit or plug will be reinserted in the holding unit or case to obtain a relight However, quite frequently, the bimetallic contact fingers still retain sufficient residual heat from the prior heating cycle to prevent latching engagement with the contact member of the plug in opposition to the force of the .aforementioned ejecting means and, moreover, the residual heat in the contact lingers pulls them away from the contact member on the plug to suchan extent that they cannot engage to remake the heating circuit. To provide for such a situation, electrical lighters of the type aforementioned typically include a rigid washer or relight contact in the holding unit or case immediately axially rearwardly of the bimetallic contact lingers aforementioned. Consequently, to obtain a relight, the operator need merely reinsert the plug in the holding case to engage the contact member of the plug against the rigid relight washer of the case to make a secondary or relight circuit through the heating element. The United States Patent to Jorgensen et 1L-2,828,400 entitled Cigar Lighter and dated March 25, 1958, discloses one example of a lighter assembly of the type aforementioned.

While lighter assemblies of the type aforementioned and as exemplified by the Jorgensen et al. patent have met with considerable commercial success, certain problems are presented thereby. In the first instance, and as will be obvious from the foregoing, two contact members must be provided in the holding unit or case; that is, the bimetallic latch fingers which function to provide a primary heating circuit and the secondary contact member in the form, for example, of a rigid relight Washer. Secondly, under the circumstances aforementioned in which the user of the lighter plug inserts the latter into the holding case to obtain a relight, the

lighter plug must be manually retained against the relight contact member since the primary contact member or bimetallic fingers contain enough residual heat to prevent them from latching engagement with the Contact member carried by the plug in opposition to the ejecting means. Consequently, the user of the lighter must employ a certain amount of guess Work to determine when the heating element reaches a predetermined heat. As a result, the plug may be held in the secondary or relight circuit-closing position too long, resulting in damage or even burn-out of the heating element.

Furthermore, and as is well known to those acquainted with this art, currents as high as approximately 20 amperes are conducted through the Contact members of such a lighter assembly. In order to safely conduct such high currents, the respective contact members of the lighter assembly are fabricated to have as large a contact area as possible, and quite often the contact member associated with the lighter plug is often plated with silver or other suitable metal in order to increase its conductivity. Moreover, in order to prevent severe arcing between the contacts upon release thereof, it will be apparent that the automatic ejection action of the lighter plug should be quite rapid. Even less severe arcing, occurring to some extent during each cycle of operation, may progressively burn the engageable areas of the contact members thereby burning away the conductive plating which may have been provided thereon, and roughening the contact areas. As a consequence of the aforementioned arcing during repeated cycles of lighter use, the engageable primary contact members may lbegin to stick thereby slowing the ejection action of the lighting unit or plug and allowing the relatively high currents to continue to pass through the contact members thereby resulting in very severe arcing between the contact members, reduction in the service life of the lighter, or even dangerous fires.

This problem of roughened areas on the primary contacts of the lighter assembly is magnified considerably by the use of a rigid relight washer within the holding unit or case. In other words, under the circumstances aforementioned in which the lighter plug is held manually against such a rigid relight washer or contact, the latter has a tendency to roughen, gouge or abrade the contact member engageable therewith and carried by the lighter plug. This abrading or gouging action tends to wear od the highly conductive coating or plating on the Contact member of the lighter plug, while roughening the contact surface itself. inasmuch as the lighter plug is placed in many different rotational positions within the holding case during use, such a roughened contact area on the lighter plug eventually comes into repeated contact with the contact area of the primary temperature responsive contact fingers of the holding unit or case thereby abrading and roughening the latter. As a result, even through the heating element of the lighter plug would reach the desired temperature through the primary contacts and heating circuit, the igniting unit may tend to stick within the holding case thereby resulting `in severe arcing and reduced service life, and potential danger of serious fires as aforementioned.

The copending United States application of D. R. Crumb, Serial Number 773,591 filed November 13, 1958, now Patent No. 3,012,127 and entitled Contact Assembly for Lighter discloses one solution to this problem of a rigid secondary or relight contact abrading, gouging or roughening the contact surface of the contact member carried by the removable lighter plug. However, as in the Jorgensen et al. patent aforementioned, a secondary or relight contact member is still required to provide the secondary or religh circuit under the circumstances aforementioned.

Still another problem presented by known lighters, as exemplified by both the Jorgensen et al. patent and the copending Crumb application, resides in the fact that, upon inserting the lighter plug into the case to latchingly engage the contact fingers to close the primary heating circuit, the contact member carried by the lighter plug will rst engage the contact fingers carried by the holding cases, ythen disengage the latter and then reengage them. This make-break-make cycle of circuit-closing engagement often results in arcing between the primary contact members carried respectively by the lighter plug and the holding case, thereby burning the Contact areas thereof. Consequently, the cooperatingly engageable contact areas of the contact members carried respectively by the lighter plug and holding case may be burned, thereby further contributing to the tendency of the lighter plug to stick to the bimetal contact fingers in opposition to the plug-ejection means, causing further damage to the lighter for reasons mentioned above. The United States patent to Iorgense1'1-2,81O,8l4 entitled Cigar Lighter and dated October 22, 1957, presents one solution to this problem of make-break-make cycling during primary circuit-closing engagement of the contacts of the lighter assembly. However, as in the Jorgensen et al. patent and Crumb application aforementioned, a rigid secondary or relight washer is still required, resulting in the problem of element burn-out or damage during use of the relight circuit and, like the Jorgensen et al. construction, roughening, abrading, or gouging of the contact surface of the contact member carried by the lighter plug with the undesirable consequences aforementioned.

It is, therefore, a principal object and feature of this invention to provide an improved lighter assembly comprising but a single contact assembly carried, respectively, by a holding unit or case and a lighting unit or plug removably insertable therein while still obtaining both a primary heating circuit and a secondary heating circuit.

It is yet another object and feature of this invention to provide a lighter assembly of the type aforementioned characterized by `but a single contact assembly carried, respectively, by a removable lighter plug and its supporting holding case which provides not only a primary and secondary relight circuit` but, in both instances, means responsive to a predetermined temperature for breaking such circuits prior to damage occurring to the heating element or other parts of the assembly.

It is yet another object and feature of this invention to provide a lighter assembly of the type aforementioned characterized by a single contact mechanism carried, respectively, by a removable lighter plug and holding case to provide both a primary and a secondary or relight circuit including means responsive to the temperature of the lighter heating element to break such circuits, and so constructed and arranged as to prevent make-breakmake cycling during primary circuit-closing engagement of the respective contact assemblies.

It is yet another object and Ifea-ture of this invention to provide a lighter assembly of the type aforementioned in which the removable igniting unit or plug and its supporting holding unit or case are respectively provided with a single contact means, one of which comprises bimetallic resilient temperature responsive fingers engageable with the contact member carried by the other unit to make both a primary heating circuit and a secondary relight circuit, whereby the resiliency of the bimetal fingers prevents abrading, gou-ging or roughening of the contact surface of the contact member carried by the other unit upon closing the secondary or relight circuit.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent hereinafter as the description of the invention proceeds, and in which reference is made to the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates a lighter assembly with the components thereof in an open-circuit storage or holding position;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary enlarged view of FIGURE 1, but showing the contact mechanism of the lighter in a primary circuit-closing and latching position; and

FIGURE 3 is a view corresponding generally to FIG- URE 2, but showing the contact mechanism of the assembly in a secondary or relight position.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a substantially tubular or cylindrical holding unit or case 2 having a radial flange 4 at its open end adapted for abutment with a support panel 6 which may be the instrument panel of an automotive vehicle. The flange 4 is held in abutment with the panel 6 to support the holding case in the position shown in FIGURE l of the drawings by means of a locking sleeve 8 threadably engaging the rearward or inner end of the holding case as at 10 and abutting panel 6. A plurality of spaced yieldable spring fingers 12 are lanced from or otherwise provided in the side wall of the holding case 2 so as to cooperate with the igniting unit or plug to be described to maintain the latter in an opencircuit holding or storage position within the holding case as illustrated in FIGURE 1. The base or inner end of the holding case is formed and closed by a substantially tubular sleeve 14 having a rearward annular ange 16 suitably secured to the holding case as by welding. At its forward or axially outer end, the tubular sleeve 14 is provided with an annular radial wall 18 having an aperture therein through which the metallic mounting stud 2G extends in spaced relationship: thereto.

The central portion of the metallic primary contact member 22, herein shown to include a pair of oppositely radially projecting resilient bimetallic temperature responsive fingers 24, is riveted or otherwise suitably tixedly secured to the head of the stud 20v against the radial shouln der 26 thereon. Each of -the fingers 24 includes a radially outwardly projecting curved contact surface 28 for engagement with a contact member on the igniting unit or plug to be described. A relatively large annular insulating Washer 30 is supported on the mounting stud 20` in abutting contact with the wall 18 of the tubular sleeve 14. An additional annular insulating washer 32 is supported on stud 20 and nested within sleeve 14 against the interior face of the wall 18, and the washer 34 abuts washer 32 and shoulder 36 axially inwardly on the mounting stud 20.

An ejection sleeve 38 is telescopicallv mounted within the holding case 2 about sleeve 14, and includes a shoulder 40 normally urged into abutting stop engagement with the periphery of the insulating or stop washer 30 as shown in FIGURE 1 by means of an axially coiled spring 42 acting between the axially rearwardly extending skirt 44 of the ejection sleeve and the rear wall or base of the holding case. Axial inward movement of the ejection sleeve 38 is limited -by abutment of .the end of skirt 44 with the base of the holding case as shown in FIGURE 3.

The igniting unit 46 may be seen to include a main body portion 48 to which the handling knob 50 is secured. A metallic mounting stud 52 is secured to the igniting unit at the insertable end thereof. A heating element 54, formed of continuous coils or ribbon-like electrically-resistant metal stock, is mounted on the end of stud 52 adjacent a suitable insulating Washer 56 abutting a shoulder on the stud. One end of the heating element is staked or otherwise electrically and mechanically Yconnected to the stud 52 as indicated at 57, while the other end thereof is similarly connected to a cylindrical or tubular contact cup 58 which surrounds and extends axially an appreciable distance beyond the element 54. The contact cup 58 includes an apertured base wall 60 surrounding the stud 52 and mounted between insulating washers 62 and 64 carried by the stud. The open end of the contact cup 5S terminates in a pair of radially inwardly projecting axially spaced annular ridges 66 and 68 defining an annular latch seat 70 therebetween; and a radially outwardly flaring mouth 72. Surrounding and spaced from the contact cup 58 is an outer sleeve 74 suitably secured to the main body portion 48 of the igniting unit and extending beyond the Contact cup 5S and heating element 54.

It will be understood that the Imounting stud in the holding case forms a terminal adapted to be connected to a suitable electrical power source such as the vehicle battery. Current from such a power source is conducted through the mounting stud 20 to the con-tact lingers 24. With the igniting unit contact cup "58 in engagement with the contact lingers 24 as to be described, it will be understood that a circuit is established through the contact cup 58, heating element 54 and stud 52 to ground in the usual manner.

Referring now to the operation of the assembly 4aforedescribed, it is to be noted first that FIGURE 1 of the sketch illustrates the lighter assembly in its normal holding or storage position; that is, the position in which the plug 46 is carried when not being used, or just following a heating cycle and just prior to removal from the holding case rfor use. To use the lighter in the normal manner, the knob Sil is pressed inwardly of the holding case 2 causing the contact cup 53 to ride over the contact lingers 24 which yield radially inwardly upon engagement with the flared mouth 72 of the contact cup. Ordinarily, the user of the plug will depress the knob 5G until such time as the end of the ejection sleeve skirt 44 bottoms against the base of the holding case as illustrated in FIGURE 3. At this time, the ejection spring 4-2 is compressed and the contact lingers 24 have moved successvely past the ridge 66, and latch seat 76 on the contact cup into radial engagement with the second cup ridge 68 as illustrated in FIGURE 3. At this time, the vehicle operator releases the plug and the spring 42 expands slightly until the contact lingers 24 come to rest and latch in the seat 70 between the ridges 66 and 68 `on the contact cup as illustrated in FIGURE 2. It is important to note that, as the cup rides ove-r the lingers 24 from the FIG- URE l position to the FIGURE 3 position to the lat-ching position of FIGURE 2, the resilient contact and latch lin-gers remain in constant engagement with the contact cup; that is, once the contact is made, it is retained until the element is heated as described hereinafter.

With the assembly in the FIGURE 2 position, a heating circuit exists as aforementioned and, after the element 54 reaches a predetermined heat, the temperature responsive contact fingers 24 will have contracted radially inwardly to such an extent that the force of latching engagement of the latter wih the contact cup is overcome by he ejection spring 42. As a result, the plug t6 is rapidly thrust from the FIGURE 2 position back to the FIGURE l position and may then be removed for use.

As often happens, it may now be assumed that the user of the lighter waits a few moments too long before removing the lighter plug from the FIGURE l position, and linds that the element 54 has cooled. The plug may then be reinserted in the holding case to obtain a relightf Thus, the plug is pushed all the way into the holding case until the ejection sleeve skirt d4 bottoms and the contact lingers 24 and cup S8 are disposed in the position of FIG- URE 3. The plug is held in this position by the user thereof, and a circuit is made through the heating element as previously described. However, and of particular signilicance, should the plug be held in too long and to the point that the heating element 54 could be burned-out or otherwise damaged, the lingers 24 respond to the temperature and expand radially inwardly from the contact ridge 68 to break the circuit. In other words, the ejection sleeve stop positively insures that the ridge 68 on the cup 58 will stop opposite the lingers 24 to make contact, event through the lingers contain snliicient residual heat to prevent engagement thereof with the main body of the cup, and the lingers themselves form a circuit breaker to prevent overheating and damage to the element S4 during relight as well as when used in the normal manner in latching engagement with the contact cup. Furthermore, Isince the resilient bimetal lingers 24 are employed not only to make the usual primary circuit lto the contact cup as illustrated in FIGURE 2 but yalso the secondary or relight circuit as aforementioned, it will be noted that there is no tendency `for the flared mouth 72 or other cont-act. surfaces of the cup SS to be abraded, gouged or roughened by the contact lingers 24 which resiliently yield upon engagement therewith.

It will now be apparent from the foregoing description that the lighter assembly aforedescribed provides both a primary and a secondary or relight circuit While utilizing but a single contact mechanism carried, respectively, by the lighter plug and holding case; that is, although eliminating a third contact such as a rigid relight washer mounted in the holding case as in the prior art. Furthermore, the aforementioned construction prevents makebreak-make cycling during primary circuit-closing engagement of the contact fingers and cup as illustrated in FIG- URE 2, insures relight contact between the cup 58 and lingers 24 even when the latter are hot and bowed in to some extent, and the bimetal contact lingers 24 in the relight" circuit as illustrated in FIGURE 3 act as an automatic circuit breaker.

Having disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention by way of illustration, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited thereby but only by the claims which follow.

I claim:

l.. A ligher assembly comprising `a holding unit, an igniting unit removably insertable within said holding unit, a temperature responsive contact linger carried by one of said units, contact means carried by the other of said units including a latch seat and a projecting ridge adjaacent said seat, said igniting unit having a holding positio-n `within said holding unit in which said contact means is out of Contact with said finger and being further insertable into said holding unit to successively engage lirst said seat and thence said ridge of said contact means with said linger, and stop means preventing insertion of said igniting unit into said holding unit beyond .the extent required to effect engagement of said ridge with said linger to form a single circuit between said units.

2. A lighter assembly comprising a holding unit, an igniting unit removably insertable within said holding unit, a temperature responsive contact linger carried by one of said units, contact means carried by the other of said units including a latch seat and radially projecting annular ridge, said igniting unit havin-g a holding position within said holding unit in which said contact means is out of contact with said nger, said latch seat and ridge being successively engageable by said nger during further insertion of said igniter unit into said holding unit beyond said holding position, and stop means limiting insertion of said igniting unit into said holding unit to a predetermined maximum extent to dispose said ridge radially opposite and in engagement with said linger to yform a single circuit between said units.

3. A lighter assembly comprising a holding unit, an igniting unit removably insertable within said holding unit, a temperature responsive contact linger carried by one of said units, an axially extending -contact cup carried by the other of said units and including first and second radially projecting axially spaced annular ridges delining an annular latch seat therebetween, said igniting unit having a holding position within said holding unit in which said cup is out of contact with said linger and 'being further insertable into said holding unit to a predetermined maximum extent to successively radially engage said first ridge, said latch seat and said second ridge with said linger, said igniting unit having a latching position upon insertion thereof into said holding unit less than said predetermined maximum extent in which said linger latchingly engages said latch seat and a relight position upon insertion thereof to said predetermined maximum extent in Which said finger radially engages said second ridge, and stop means llimiting insertion of said igniting unit into said holding unit to said predetermined maximum extent to dispo-sed said igniting unit in Isaid relight position to form a single relight circuit between said units through `said finger and said second ridge.

4. A lighter assembly comprising a holding unit removably insertable Within said lholding unit, plural radially spaced resilient temperature responsive contact lingers carried 4by one of said units, an axially extending contact cup carried by the other of said units and including first and second radially projecting axially spaced annular ridges defining an annular latch seat therebetween, said igniting unit having a holding position Within said holding unit in which said cup is out of contact with said fingers and being further insertable into said holding unit to a predetermined maximum extent to successively radially engage said first ridge, said latch seat and said second ridge with said fingers, said igniting unit having a latching position upon insertion thereof into said holding unit less than said predetermined maximum extent in which said fingers latchingly engage said latch seat and a relight position upon insertion thereof to said predetermined maximum extent in which said fingers radially engage said second ridge, and a spring biased ejection sleeve engageable with said igniting unit and abuttable with said holding unit upon insertion of said igniting unit to said predetermined maximum extent to limit insertion of said igniting unit to 30 8193314 said predetermined maximum extent.

5. A lighter assembly comprising a holding case having a base end and an open end axially opposite thereto, a pair of radially oppositely disposed resilient temperature responsive contact fingers mounted Within said case intermediate the ends of the latter, a lighter plug removably insertable Within the open end of said case, a heating element secured to said plug at the insertable end thereof, a contact cup fixed to said plug and electrically connected to said element, said cup surrounding and extending axially beyond said element, first and second radially inwardly projecting axially spaced annular ridges 0n said cup defining an annular latch seat therebetween, said plug having a holding position Within said `case in Which said cup is out of contact with said lingers and being further insertable into said case to a predetermined maximum extent to successively radially engage said first ridge, said latch seat and said second ridge with said fingers, said plug having a latching position upon insertion thereof into said case less than -said maximum extent in Which said fingers latching engage said latch seat and a relight position upon insertion thereof to said predetermined maximum extent in which said fingers radially engage said second ridge, and a spring biased ejection sleeve having one end thereof engageable with said plug and the other end thereof abuttable with the base end of said case to limit insertion of said plug to said predetermined maximum extent.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Jorgensen Oct. 22, 1957 3,012,127 Crumb Dec. 5, 1961 UNITED STATES- PATENT oFFCE (1ERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTIN Patent No., 3,076,084 January 29 1963 John R Vosefski It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered pat ent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read es corrected below.

Column 3, line lO, for "cases" read case column 4, line 61, for "or" read of column 5, line 50, for "wih" read with same line,l for "he" read the line 73, for "event through" read even though column line 32, for "ligher" read lighter line 50, aiter "'and" insert a column 7, line 9, after "unit" insert an igniting unity column 8, line 19, for "latching" read Signed and sealed this 24th day of September 1963s (SEAL) Attest:

`ERNEST w. swlDER DAVID L. LADD Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATEv OF CORRECTIN Patent No. 3,076,084 January 29, 1963 John R Voseiski l It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read es corrected below Column 3, line lO, for "cases" read case column 4, line 6l, for "or" read of column 5, line 50, for "wih" read with same linenfor "he" read the line 73, for "event through" reed even though column 6, line 32, for "ligher" read lighter line 50, after "and" insert e column 7, line 9, after "unit" insert an igniting unit column 8, line l9, for "latching" read latehingly Signed and sealed this 24th day of September 1963.

(SEAL) Attest:

DAVH)L.LADD

Commissioner of Patents 'ERNEST W. SWIDER Attesting Officer 

1. A LIGHTER ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A HOLDING UNIT, AN IGNITING UNIT REMOVABLY INSERTABLE WITHIN SAID HOLDING UNIT, A TEMPERATURE RESPONSIVE CONTACT FINGER CARRIED BY ONE OF SAID UNITS, CONTACT MEANS CARRIED BY THE OTHER OF SAID UNITS INCLUDING A LATCH SEAT AND A PROJECTING RIDGE ADJACENT SAID SEAT, SAID IGNITING UNIT HAVING A HOLDING POSITION WITHIN SAID HOLDING UNIT IN WHICH SAID CONTACT MEANS IS OUT OF CONTACT WITH SAID FINGER AND BEING FURTHER INSERTABLE INTO SAID HOLDING UNIT TO SUCCESSIVELY ENGAGE FIRST SAID SEAT AND THENCE SAID RIDGE OF SAID CONTACT MEANS WITH SAID FINGER, AND STOP MEANS PREVENTING INSERTION OF SAID IGNITING UNIT INTO SAID HOLDING UNIT BEYOND THE EXTENT REQUIRED TO EFFECT ENGAGEMENT OF SAID RIDGE WITH SAID FINGER TO FORM A SINGLE CIRCUIT BETWEEN SAID UNITS. 